HOPKINS COUNTY, Ky. (11/6/13) - Madisonville Community College (MCC) is accepting registration for two new online Health Care Informatics (HCI) certificates for the spring 2014 semester. This new online program is designed to address the challenges health care providers face meeting new requirements for the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of health care information and data. Dr. Deborah Cox, MCC Chief Academic Affairs Officer, explains that “persons trained in health care informatics should be in high demand in hospitals, health clinics, and other health settings, and MCC is the only college presently offering HCI training at the undergraduate level in Kentucky.”

There are two certificate options – HCI requires 12 credit hours and HCI with Project Management requires 16 credit hours. Students can complete the certificates in 2-3 semesters; the typical salary for HCI graduates is expected to range from $35,000-$50,000.

MCC is accepting students for the HCI certificates who 1) have completed an associate degree in a health-related, medical information or information technology field; or 2) will soon be completing their degree and desire an enhancement course for their discipline. Others interested in the HCI certificates will be considered on an individual basis. “Health Care Informatics is a rapidly expanding field due to the government mandate for the functionality of electronic medical records systems in health care facilities by the 2015 deadline,” states Kristi Berry, HCI Coordinator. She continues, “MCC is a forerunner in the HCI arena and offers certificates at the undergraduate level. That in itself is an astounding undertaking as there are few in the market below the graduate level.”

Persons interested in learning more about Health Care Informatics should contact HCI Program Coordinator Kristi Berry (
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), or visit madisonville.kctcs.edu/mcconline.

SurfKY News Information provided by Joyce Riggs, Madisonville Community College